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A Special Talk Given by Prof. Anil Kumar

“Sai Baba and Banking”

Talk held at ING Vysya Bank, Puttaparthi

July 31, 2011

OM…OM…OM…

Sai Ram

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Since you are a group of bankers, it is quite apt that I share with you Baba’s views on banking. Therefore the topic for this afternoon is: “Baba and Banking.” How do the two go together? What is banking and who is Baba? You may be very much surprised to learn that Swami speaks about financial transactions, such as savings accounts, recurring deposits, fixed deposits, mortgages, overdrafts, and bankruptcy. He has many things to say about banking, so let that be the centre for our discussion this afternoon.

THE PHYSICAL AND THE COSMIC DIVINE BANK

A bank is a place where we deposit our money, our savings. People struggle a lot to get enough earnings to deposit in a bank, where the accounts are meticulously maintained.

When I was a student, my mother had a fascination to make me a bank employee because in my student days a bank job was prestigious. A banker also got high dowry in those days. (Laughter) She wanted me to train for a banking job, but I told her in unequivocal terms: “I am unfit for a bank job. I am very poor in accounts. I can’t do that. It is better for you to save your money by not putting me in that chartered accountancy program.”

In fact she had already paid the money, but she was able to get it back. I was so happy. The point I want to drive home is this: Account deposits are maintained meticulously and are highly confidential. The amount in my wife’s account will not be revealed to me, and the amount in my account will not be told to her. So accounts are highly confidential.

There is another kind of bank, a cosmic bank, where accounts are also highly confidential. Today we have the managers of many banks here. The manager of this bank, ING Vysya Bank is here. We have managers of neighbouring banks as well. I see the manager of Andhra Bank and the manager from State Bank and others, too. They are the managers of their banks; but who is the manager of the cosmic bank?

The cosmic bank is a universal bank with no office hours because it works around the clock. All records are highly confidential. Even if you ask for a bank statement, the manager will say, “Sorry, not now!” Who is that bank manager who maintains accounts in a most confidential way, keeping records at the level of topmost secrecy? That bank manager is called Chitragupta. Chitra means ‘peculiar’, while gupta means ‘confidential’. Chitragupta then is the cosmic bank manager who records everything, without the knowledge of anybody, as He keeps things highly confidential.

Sometimes banks have computer system problems, even virus problems. With apologies, customers are asked, “Would you come tomorrow because our computer systems are down?” Well, some computer problems may occur in our bank branches, but in the cosmic, universal, Divine bank, there are no computer problems. Whatever we do gets entered there. The thoughts we have get registered there. All thoughts, words and deeds are immediately, electronically transmitted, more powerfully than the internet or any other technological gadget. Things in the cosmic bank are maintained in perfect precision and order. The effort to maintain things meticulously is the commonality between ordinary banks and that Divine, spiritual bank.

CREDIT In the COSMIC BANK

Secondly, I may have an amount here in this bank. However, that does not mean I can withdraw money indefinitely. I can get some money one day and maybe the next day. Okay, fine! But later when I go to the bank, I may be told, “Sorry sir, there is no money left in your account!”

Or sometimes we give cheques and they bounce back because no money is there. This happens more so with us seniors. We give cheques, forgetting that there is no money in the account. The manager may then tell us, with the courtesy due to our age, “Sir, you have given a cheque for which there is no amount here. However, we will honour it and keep it until you visit our office.” That’s what happens. So the amount deposited in the bank gets accumulated, and it can be withdrawn so long as there is money in the account. But when it runs out, the manager will say, “I am sorry, you can’t get any!”

Similarly, the Divine spiritual cosmic bank, God’s bank, also has some credit and some credit limits. For example, some deposits might be made without your knowledge and you can draw out of your account so long as the amount is to your credit. But once you reach the credit limit, your withdrawal efforts are finished.

Some people who use up all their credit may experience a sudden fall in their careers. First, they go up and up. As they accumulate more savings, they also get interest, and may even invest in fixed deposits and such. However, the moment the amount is not there, they are finished. Those who went up and up, overdrawing from their accounts, have to come down.

Similarly, in our life careers, we may be fine. But once we exhaust the credit in our individual accounts, we may each lose our present stature, position, and status. In that way, physical banks and spiritual banks are similar.

ASTHI AND AASTHI

Third point: Banks treasure our ‘aasthi’, our property. And bankers enquire whether we have money or not. “Aasthi paruda kaadha?” “Is he a well-to-do man or not?” I met a bank manager recently. Before he asked me to open an account in his branch, I said, “I have no money to open another account. If you want, I can deposit lakhs and lakhs of vocabulary, nomenclature, words, but not coins!” That’s what I told him.

In the banking world, ‘aasthi’ (meaning ‘property’) and money is all that matters. But in God’s bank, ‘asthi’, is what matters. Asthi’ means ‘existence, being, awareness’. God is existence, God is awareness, and God is ever-present—that’s what ‘asthi’ is. So while these worldly banks deal with ‘aasthi’, the spiritual bank deals with ‘asthi.’ Without either of them, we are ‘naasthi’, a big zero! We should have something here and something there in turn.

MORTGAGE the merits of past lives

The fourth point is this: When I do not have money in the bank, what am I to do? I am in need of money, but I don’t have anything now. I will go to the manager and say, “I want some money.”

He says, “I can’t give you.” But I still want it. What he might then say is, “Would you mortgage your home, your house? Would you mortgage the costly jewels you have, the ornaments that you possess? If you deposit the treasured jewels or mortgage your house, we will give you a loan.”

Swami speaks of loans and mortgages also. What does He mean? What happens is this: The bank loan I get may come because of the jewels given to me by my parents or parents-in-law, or because I have a house which I got by inheritance, as I am the legal heir to my parents. In either case, I simply mortgage what has been given to me, handed over by my parents.

Now Baba compares this to people who seem to live an effortless, painless life. We find people who are really not at all of any value, worthless creatures, sometimes having negative features. They are absolutely ‘fit-for-nothing’ fellows, but still they enjoy life with all the pleasures and with no pain. How is that possible?

It is because they mortgaged all the good deposited in their account from their past lives. All the good they did in their past lives is put in the bank now, and they draw from that in order to get loans of happiness and pleasure. The loans of happiness and pleasure, the loans of comfort, luxury and extravaganza are there because of the deposition of all their accrued merit. They mortgage the good from their collected merit, just as we mortgage jewels or our home, to be eligible for a loan.

overdrafts

Swami speaks of overdrafts also. Overdrafts naturally are not given to everybody. Overdrafts are given to those in whom bankers have confidence. They offer overdraft protection to those whom they are sure will pay back, to those with credibility and accountability, so the bankers feel secure that they will recover their money. Yes, such people only are given overdrafts!

Why do we take overdrafts? We take overdrafts to tide us over during an unexpected crisis. You start a project, but you don’t get any loans from the government or support from the community. But still you need the money to start your project, to go ahead with your plans. In that case, an overdraft is needed. By establishing your credibility, naturally the bank will oblige you by giving you an overdraft.

And now Bhagavan says this about the cosmic bank: You may not have anything in the bank, but you don’t have to ask for overdraft protection because to those who love Him, He gives His protection. In the Divine plan, there is no duality like one day a crisis, and the next day none. His protection may feel miraculous, but each day the unexpected occurs. So each day is a miracle.

So long as you are comfortable, you may say, “This is a miracle.” Tomorrow you may sustain an injury. It is equally a miracle. What is a miracle? A miracle is that which is unexpected, not necessarily that which happens in your favour. You may think that all those things that happen positively in your favour are a miracle. This is not necessarily so! Those things that happen against your wish, against your preferential choices, are also miracles. How is that? Because a miracle is an unexpected, unanticipated result, something that just happens, something like heavenly manna, as mentioned in the Holy Bible. That is a miracle.

god’S SAFE DEPOSIT LOCKERS

God has safe deposit lockers too; otherwise, where are we to surrender our ‘valuables’? What am I to put in this bank to be eligible for the safe deposit lockers or vaults?

The bank notices state: “Safety lockers available.” These vaults are available for keeping valuables, such as jewels or some important documents. Why do we make deposits there? It is because we will have no worry of theft, no fear of any fellow stepping in to steal and take away the documents. If l leave valuables in my house, some poor fellow might enter, thinking he will find a suitcase full of money. Yet no money is there, only house documents. If he takes away the house documents, I will be at a loss subsequently. Therefore, when we keep highly valuable documents or jewels in safe deposit lockers, we need not worry. We can be peaceful.

The point is that we surrender those things which are valuable to us and put them into a safe deposit locker. Likewise, you can surrender your jewels to the cosmic safe deposit locker. What are these jewels? The jewel of your intelligence, the jewel of your cleverness, and the gem of ego! We each have these gems and the jewels. These jewels, along with our management skills and all of our talents, can be officially deposited in the cosmic bank safe deposit lockers. Then we can be happy because nobody can steal those things since they are in God’s safe deposit lockers.

the man who loves money fears death

Now Swami looks at what we have put in our banks. Some people have a lot of money, but no peace of mind. We see many people who are very, very stinking rich. They own a number of flats or a number of property sites, but still have no peace of mind.

One of my friends asked me, “Anil Kumar, do you have any flat here in Prashanthi Nilayam?”

My immediate reply was, “I have come here only to fall flat in front of Him, not to acquire a flat.” (Laughter)

Some also asked me, “Do you have any site here in Prashanthi Nilayam?”

I just told them, “If I am in the sight of Bhagavan, that is enough. I don’t need to have any other site.”

Some people ask, “Do you have at least a plot?”

Well, I tell them, “I have not come here to plot against anybody. I don’t plot against anybody.”

The point is this: You may be rich enough, but you have no peace of mind. Why? Rich people worry. For example, some worry about their taxes. Taxation will go on increasing, day-by-day. Day-by-day, there is taxation!

Some are very much bothered about any delay in submitting their income tax returns. If there is a problem, they have to pay first and then talk. They cannot talk first. No! Pay first and then claim later. Even a district collector has to shiver in his shoes in front of an income tax officer. So even for the affluent, wealthy, rich people, living in a posh part of the community, taxation feels so heavy that they never feel peaceful.

Then wealthy people have another fear. Some have lots of money at home. They won’t keep it all in the bank because of taxation, but they don’t sleep well because they fear some robbers may enter at anytime. Therefore, in order to safeguard and make it appear as if there is nothing at home, some will want to look penniless, like a beggar, so no robber will suspect there is money. For example, Aurangzeb looked like a beggar. Aurangzeb led the beggarly life because he didn’t want to look rich. Likewise, many a rich man chooses not to be an exhibitionist or a man of pomp and show—a man displaying too much dignity and stature—for he may then be attacked by robbers at any moment.

So there are threats of taxation from the government, plus robbers in society. There is also a third threat from a nearby party: your children who may come to know that they will inherit a lot of money. They will be waiting for you to ‘transfer to the other planet’, so that they can get this money! (Laughter) Those who have lived long enough must have experienced this. Even if you stay a couple of days with your children, they expect ‘something more’ from you, something better. I don’t say what ‘it’ is, but this is a common experience of everybody.

Life has become a matter of finance, a matter of budget. In fact, it was Paramahamsa Yogananda who said, “The man who loves money is the one who has a fear of death.” Almost everyone, our children included, have a fear of death. Therefore, they love money. Why? They think money will save them. He who thinks that money will prevent death, during all moments of danger and peril, is living an impossible dream. It’s just not possible. We cannot escape.

So from the family side, we are afraid of all the demands our children or relations may make. Any one of them may say, “I am constructing a house. Would you give me some money?” You cannot say, “No!” because they know that you have money. We find a son going to court against his father, one brother going to court against another brother, one daughter fighting with another daughter on a tamarind tree issue—to whom should it go! There are people who have gone to court to determine who should get the backyard even!

Wealthy people will be bothered by their kith and kin; they will be tortured by their own blood relations and children. They will feel burdened as well when their taxes are increased. Additionally, they may fear that some of their neighbours, such aimless fellows, may be ready to rob them of their money at anytime. That is the situation. Seen from above, all this struggle is really funny.

god laughS TWICE AT HUMANS

It is Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who said that God laughs twice. (Poor God, He laughs only twice. We can laugh continuously, but He laughs only twice.) Why? First, He laughs when a dying patient is in the hands of a doctor, being assured that he will continue to live. The doctor will say, “Don’t worry. I am here.” That fellow thinks that he can live long. At most, he may live long enough to pay the bill! (Laughter) (However, in corporate hospitals, they have to pay first and then die later!) So a dying patient, who has full faith in his doctor’s words, thinking that he will live long, is making a big joke for God to laugh about.

The second situation for God to laugh at is this: fights over a property site. For example, two brothers may be fighting over an agricultural field. One brother says, “This area belongs to me.” Another brother says, “No, no! It belongs to me.”

Then God laughs. “Oh, it belongs to you? Before both of you were born, it belonged to your father; before he was born, to your grandfather, and before that to your great grandfather. Prior to that, it belonged to nobody. So this land belongs to you, you claim. It is true only so long as you are here.”

Then God laughs, “Poor chaps! They think that the land belongs to them. Land belongs to nobody. It belonged to somebody before and now it belongs to you; later it will belong to somebody else.” So God laughs at these poor chaps.

But there is a treasure that cannot be seen by anybody at any point of time. And nobody can draw you to the court either in a dispute over this treasure.

SPIRITUALISE YOUR LIFESTYLE

There is an account where your treasure is quite safe. Your treasure will not seen by any robbers or goondas or thieves. Neither can they steal or rob you of this treasure at any point in time, not even in the late night. No thefts, yes! In addition, the amount you deposit not only gives all safety and joy, it also gives you the life here and hereafter.

That is what is called ‘good karma’--the good activity we do, the charity we perform, the good services we extend. It includes any timely help we provide, such as a word of consolation or a word of support and solace we might speak to a person who is frustrated and disappointed. These are all the things Baba has said about the cosmic bank.

It may be quite unbelievable to many of you to learn that Swami spoke on safe deposits and lockers. “What’s all this? Why a cosmic bank?” you may ask. Because, as Howard Murphet has said, Baba’s job is to spiritualise our human lifestyles.

Unfortunately we think that physical life is different from spiritual life: I get up in the morning at four o’clock and meditate; then I participate in nagarsankirtan. There ends the matter. Thereafter, I am what I have been. There are some who say, “I am very particular to attend bhajans between 5 and 6. Before and after that, I am what I have been.”

That is not spirituality. According to Swami, spirituality must be lived during all the periods of time: then, now, and in the future. It is present and continuous. It is not only a matter of worship. It is not only a matter of contemplation. It is not only a matter of ritual. It is a matter of spiritualising the whole human lifestyle. That is the purpose of this Divine Incarnation of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba!

surrender good and bad equally to god

I can also tell you two illustrations that Bhagavan has given about banks and banking. Swami said, “You should surrender good and bad equally to God.” That may look rather odd and silly to a common man: “I can offer good to God.” That idea has some meaning. “But how can I offer anything bad?” you may ask.

You can offer good and bad to God. Why? Swami gives an example of a five hundred rupee note. The five hundred rupee note may be one that is completely stained, very dirty, and torn in one corner. Do you throw off a very dirty five hundred rupee note? No! Five hundred rupees! Could you buy anything with it? Nobody, not even the street-side vendors who don’t have anything, will want such a dirty note, one which is completely spoiled.

So what should you do? Deposit the note in the Reserve Bank. The Reserve Bank people will look at that note. Okay! They will immediately see the number of the note. If the number of the currency note is still there, it is valid, no matter whether it is torn this way or that, or stained with ink here or there. It is valid still because it carries its number. So if you have a spoiled currency note and surrender it to the Reserve Bank, you will get a brand new currency note.

Similarly, if you receive a good note, a fresh five hundred rupee note, you won’t keep it in your shirt pocket while moving about on the street because anybody may pick-pocket it. You may be afraid to go to a hotel (restaurant) because anybody might take it away! So you keep your hand on your chest and eat with the other hand! (Laughter) You cannot go to a movie because it may be stolen while you watch the movie! So the five hundred rupee note in your pocket is not safe as you may be pick-pocketed by anybody at any moment.

Now what should you do? Deposit that good note in the bank. Then you will get a bank receipt. It doesn’t matter even if you lose this receipt. Good or bad notes which are surrendered in the bank are safe, so you need not worry. Similarly in life, good and bad have to be deposited in the bank of God.

BY dePOSITING GOOD, YOU BECOME HUMBLE

If you deposit all the good with Him, in His bank, what happens? You will not be egoistic. You will not be proud. Some people are proud and egoistic because of a mushroom level of growth, a mushroom level of talents. These little fractional, minimal, and microscopic talents will make people feel highly egoistical and proud.

So in order to see that you will not be jealous, that you will not feel proud, you deposit all your skills, all your status, all your dignity into God’s bank. You will then be very humble. You will be very simple. You will not be harmful; rather you will be helpful. If anyone says you are great, you won’t say, “I am great. Have you only realised it now? I have been great since long!” (Laughter)

After all, what are we in this world? We are each a negligible, minimal, decimal nobody! You can say instead, “Am I great, really? I don’t know. It is all God’s grace.” The credit goes to Him. If you are a singer, you will listen to your own music like any other listeners. If you are a writer, you will read your own article like any other reader. So you credit all the good to God. Then you will remain simple and humble. That is the advantage of depositing good in the Divine bank.

by depositing bad qualities you become VIRTUOUS

Secondly, if I deposit badly stained and spoilt currency notes, torn and worn out notes in the bank, what do they do? They give me pucca (clean) good notes in exchange for my spoilt notes! Similarly, if I surrender all the bad in me, depositing it in God’s Divine bank, what happens?

What if I am angry? If that anger is deposited in God’s bank, what happens? I will then not be angry with anybody. I will be angry with myself. Why? I will ask, “How is it that I am not able to control my senses? How is it that I have not taken to spiritual practices yet? How is it that I could not come out of my pitfalls and weaknesses yet? What is wrong with me?” I will be angry with myself for my lack of self-control and development.

Suppose I have jealousy. In the world, if I feel jealous of anybody, the other man won’t lose. For example, I may feel jealous of you because you are a great man and noble man, a reputed man, yet you are humble. I must ask myself, “Why is it that I am not as humble as you? How is it that I am not as simple as you? How is it that I am not as unassuming as you? Why is it I am not like you?”

Like this, when all the evil qualities within us are deposited in God’s bank, they will be converted into noble qualities, into higher qualities of life, into virtues—into brand new currency notes of virtues! That’s the kind of notes Swami speaks about.

baba himself will be your guarantor

There are three kinds of ‘currency management’ that Swami also speaks about. First, you can draw money if that money is in your credit. Second, you can draw money by mortgaging. And third, you can draw money if any rich man stands as a guarantor or security. These are three ways.

So you go to the bank and say, “I want money.” The banker may say, “You have no money to your credit.” You have not done anything good now. So how is it you can draw? Impossible! You have to return empty-handed. So if you have not done anything good here, you have to return. That’s all! You don’t get any money; but there is another possibility. What is it?

All the good you have done in the past, and all the blessings of your parents and forefathers can be deposited there, so then you can draw money. The property that you inherited from your parents and the jewellery that you got from your in-laws can be mortgaged; you can then be eligible to draw money. In the same way, all good karma can be deposited and can be mortgaged, so that you will be eligible to draw on your spiritual account.

Thirdly, if you have no money now, no good actions now, nothing to mortgage, no past life merit in your account and still you want money, what needs to be done? You should find some security, some guarantor who will stand on your behalf and see that you are eligible to draw some money.

Security! These days nobody wants to sign as security or as a guarantor because we do not know how things will be. Some people who have offered security became victims, so now they know better, because people take and they don’t pay back. So, people are very careful to sign as security these days—highly careful, however close they are. So, if you have no money, unless there is one person who stands as security, you cannot draw money.

Now Baba says that even when I have not done anything to earn credit in the past, and when I am not doing anything at present, yet I want His grace, the sadguru will be my security. When I say, “My Lord, I want Your grace. My Lord, I know of nothing in my past or in the present that is ever good and to my credit, but still I want Your grace,” then Baba Himself will be my guarantor. Baba will be a security to all of us, so that we can draw the necessary amount of God’s grace.

secular and scriptural knowledge

When Bhagavan started the management courses in our university, for one full year He taught classes to the students of management. Unbelievable! Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who discontinued his education at the 7^th grade level (and whose transfer certificate is still available in Bukkapatnam High School, framed and nicely kept hanging on the wall till even today), taught classes for MBA boys for one full year, speaking on management, accounting, advertisement, finance, international marketing, and more. I did not know what would be the topics until He spoke, as I was translating His talks in those days.

You can imagine the depth, profundity, and vastness of His knowledge and wisdom. One day He was speaking to students on physics. He was talking about laser sciences. Yes, He was speaking to them about lenses! When it comes to the matter of biology, well, He’s uncontrollable! He will go on speaking to any extent! Why? Because biology is life, and life is God, God is life. So He speaks on biology to any extent. And history? He’s is a walking encyclopaedia on two feet! Literature? Poetry? Oh, there’s no limit to Him!

So all worldly knowledge, all secular knowledge, is embodied and is personified in Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Also all spiritual awareness and scriptural knowledge of all available scriptures, of all different faiths, are also right under His control. He can quote freely from any scripture.

THE BISHOP AND HIS DISCIPLE

Let me share with you a simple experience, a personal experience. A bishop came from France. He was on a trip to India and had the good intention of travelling all along the length and breadth of this country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. However, having come here to this ashram, he cancelled his trips to every other place and stayed here for one full month!

Swami gave him such wonderful treatment. He was dining with the bishop: He had breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tea with him! The car was even sent to him so that he could drive straight into the Poornachandra Hall. So people were talking about this bishop, who was given such extraordinary hospitality and such unbelievable levels of reception. People said that the bishop was following Him as His disciple.

I had a curiosity to look at that bishop. I wanted to look at him, but there was no chance to see him as our teaching staff had to go to college to teach. The bishop only came at 8:30 am, by which time we were leaving, so there was no chance to see him then. Even in the evening when we came at 5 o’clock, he was already seated in the front. So still we had no chance to see him. However, I was very keen to see him somehow!

Finally, one Sunday, Swami called a few foreigners in for a group interview. The doors were closed. Then I thought, ‘This is the right time to see the bishop!’ (Laughter) So I walked all along the veranda in order to see the bishop.

He had the complexion of a mango fruit, such a golden complexion, with a white beard, a white gown, and a black belt, typical of any bishop. (As I am from a Christian College, I know the attire of a bishop.) He was sitting there, so I just watched. I had gone to the front to watch the bishop closely, to see how he looked. To me, he looked like a picture of William Shakespeare or Rabindranath Tagore. His face showed solemnity and silence. With such serenity on his face, naturally everybody lifted both their hands in offering their humble salutations. That kind of effulgence and brilliance I noted on his face.

While I was watching him, I saw his disciple also, who was quite tall and wearing a black gown. He had a pointed nose, and was quite handsome, with a long mop of hair. I thought that he would do well if he were to the play the role of Jesus Christ in a film on Christ and His teachings. He was also pucca (correct) and very nice to look at.

While I was watching, suddenly the doors of the interview room opened and Baba came out! He asked me straight away, “Who are you looking at?” (Laughter)

I told Him, “Swami, I have come here to see the bishop.”

Then Baba said, “When bishop has come to see Me, you have come to see the bishop!” (Laughter) So that was the situation. “How can I help you?” He continued. “How can I help you?” (Laughter)

Then after some time, He granted an interview to the bishop and his disciple, and also to the Queen of Belgium and her close lady friend. All four of them were given an interview together. Then Swami said, “You also come, so that you can see the bishop for a long time!” (Laughter)

swami”s explanation of biblical teachings

So I went into the interview room too. Believe it or not, Swami was profusely quoting from the Holy Bible. He was explaining the biblical teachings and doctrines in a novel and unique style. These interpretations were not known to the bishop either.

The bishop’s only job was to say, “Ah! Wow! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!” because that kind of discourse on the Bible, that kind of interpretation, he had never heard before. It was a matter of revelation to him.

Now and then, Swami looked at me, only to find out to what extent I was following the Divine dialogue between these two spiritual leaders. And at the end, He materialised a small gold cup with a gold spoon.

THE DIVINE NECTAR SERVED BY SWAMI

The gold cup was full of Divine nectar or amrith, filled to the brim—and He Himself filled the spoon! He brought the spoon to me and said, “Hold it. Not a drop should fall!” My hand was quite steady till then. When He said, “Be careful,” it started shaking! (Laughter) He said, “Not one drop should fall, so be careful.” That’s all.

I stopped looking at Him and started looking at this gold cup only. Then Swami Himself personally served that amrith to everyone with the gold spoon. He wanted everyone to open their mouths.

I was wondering whether I would be getting a share or not: ‘Are the Belgium queen and her friend plus the bishop the only ones eligible? Am I on the list of recipients or not?’

Then He came gently and slowly to me and said, “You are a man of jealousy. Open your mouth. I will give you.” (Laughter) And He gave me one spoonful also.

Then retreating His steps, I noticed some more was remaining. ‘To whom would it go?’ (Laughter) That was my question.

And again He turned back, came to me and said, “You speak a lot on Swami, plus you give a number of talks, I know. You need this additional nectar. Open your mouth.” He emptied the cup. (Laughter) In the process, some nectar fell on my palm and it was quite sticky. I couldn’t ask for a wash basin there, even though it was quite sticky.

While leaving the room Baba said, “This nectar I first materialised forty years ago. I have not materialised it again in all these years; but today is the bishop’s birthday, so it is a special gift for Him.” Then He looked at me seriously and said, “Don’t tell anybody!” (Laughter) That was the dangerous point!

Anything that comes to my notice will be a kind of news revealed to the media, like the BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation. In the Sai world of devotees, I am ABC, the ‘Anil Kumar Broadcasting Corporation’. (Laughter) He said, “Don’t tell anybody.” What am I to do?

So I kept my fingers straight and walked out of the interview room. I know many of the sevadal volunteers. I mix freely with everybody. They love me and I love them. They all suddenly said, “Sir, what happened inside?”

Swami said, “Don’t tell!” so what am I to do? I said, “I cannot tell, but you can smell!” (Laughter)

Baba said, “Don’t tell!” So I answered, “You can smell, but I don’t tell.”

That aroma, that ambrosia, that amrith, was fully fragrant and aromatic, unlike any other scent! Oh, very fine! And so all of them smelled it and said, “Very nice, sir, very nice! What is it?”

I said, “I have to go to the college. Thank you.” I went home.

At home my wife saw my hands immediately and asked, “What happened to your hands? Why are you keeping them like that?”

I said, “Swami made all this. Don’t tell.” He did not say, “Not to your wife!” (Laughter) So she got an ‘income tax exemption’. (Laughter) I revealed to her all that had happened. Then she brought some plate and had me to wash my hands there. All the water was fragrant, so aromatic like fancy scents, like French perfume spray, I tell you. Yeah, fully aromatic and fragrant! That smell lasted for one week—for one whole week!

What I want to share with you is this: Swami, in His munificent grace, has given us His knowledge of the secular and of the spiritual, in depth and profundity, in all branches of knowledge.

Thank you very much for being here, for sparing your time. I appreciate your gracious presence here. I also congratulate and thank profusely the manager of Vysya Bank. I am very grateful for the presence of each and every one of you, especially the managers from State Bank, Canara Bank and Andhra Bank. I thank all of you, friends, brothers and sisters for coming. Thank you very much! (Applause)

For your information, the whole proceedings of today’s talk, was covered live on the internet at www.saiwisdom.com, so that many devotees could watch this talk simultaneously. However, those who failed to watch at this time can browse the internet website www.saiwisdom.com

Click the ‘Video’ button on the website. The whole talk will be available there.

Thank you. (Applause)

Om . . . Om . . .Om

Asato Maa Sadgamaya

Tamaso Maa Jyotirgamaya

Mrityormaa Amrithamgamaya

Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavantu

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Babaji ki Jai!